The Revenge of the Nameless Man
by An-Jelly-Ca
Summary: When Frank and Joe are kidnapped they must try to escape before their kidnapper achieves his revenge. It starts out as a simple plan for revenge and evolves into so much more. Please read and review! Chapter 40 up! Complete! (This story has been rewritten from it's original format, and has substantial plot differences from the original).
1. Chapter 1

"Frank and Joe Hardy disappeared from their home in Bayport, New York early yesterday morning," The pretty blonde newscaster stated reading from the notes on her teleprompter. "The two boys are known for their detective work, following in the footsteps of their famous father, private investigator, Fenton Hardy. Police have not yet confirmed whether their disappearance is in connection with a case of some sort, though sources close to the family claim that they were not currently working on any case. Frank Hardy is seventeen years old, six feet one inch, with brown hair and brown eyes, while his younger brother Joe is sixteen, six feet tall, and has blond hair and blue eyes. Anyone with information on their whereabouts are urged to phone the Bayport police at…"

Fenton Hardy turned off his television set with an audible click, and ran a hand through his dark hair in frustration. His sons had now been missing for over twenty four hours, and the critical window for a kidnapping was drawing to a close.

He had spent the past day since they realized Frank and Joe were missing pouring over old case files trying to find a likely suspect. He doubted if they had been randomly taken, but he couldn't be sure whether they had been targeted as a result of their own investigations, or one of his.

According to the police and the FBI, no criminals connected with the Hardy's had recently been released, nor had any recently lost an appeal. As a result they were left to sort through piles of case files, starting with the more recent ones to seek out the most likely suspects.

No ransom note had appeared, nor had anyone claimed credit for the kidnapping. Without any contact from the kidnappers it seemed less and less likely that whoever had Frank and Joe intended to return them.

He didn't dare mention these thoughts allowed to avoid scarring Laura, and quite frankly to keep it from seeming real to himself.


	2. Chapter 2

Frank awoke to find himself blindfolded and strangely cold. His arms were handcuffed above his head, which throbbed painfully. His legs were also seemingly handcuffed or restrained someway, he wasn't exactly sure how. He experimentally tugged one his ankles and heard the familiar jingle of metal on metal, and deduced that his feet were handcuffed to what appeared to be a bed frame judging by softness of the surface he was laying on.

His eyes shot open in panic as he realized the cause of his feelings of cold. His clothing had apparently been stripped off, and he had been left lying naked, tied to a bed.

Suddenly, his thoughts turned to his younger brother. "Joe?" He called quietly, and then louder and with more urgency when he didn't get a response. "Joe?"

No response was forthcoming. Frank furiously rolled his eyes upward and then downward trying to see if there were gaps in the blindfold's coverage: there weren't.

The oldest Hardy boy took a deep breath and attempted to calm himself, but despite his usually calm demeanor it was difficult undertaking.

Frank heard the door creak open and felt his heart skip a beat and feeling of foreboding settle upon him. He hoped it was his brother who had somehow managed to escape, but he had the feeling that was not the case.

"Who's there?" He called out. No one answered, but he heard someone deliberately make their way toward the bed.

He felt a rough hand stroke the side of his face and he turned his head away sharply. The hand moved downward caressing the side of his neck. Frank muffled a sob. "Don't touch me!" He exclaimed loudly. The hand did not cease in its motions, instead it made its way down his chest tugging briefly on the boy's nipples.

"Stop touching me," Frank's voice cracked as he said it and the hand paused in its motions-briefly. To his horror the hand was joined by its partner and the two of them began to run their way up Frank's legs stopping at his inner thighs.

Frank strained against his bindings, but was unable to free himself. Then as abruptly as the person had arrived he turned and left the room shutting the door with a click. Frank waited a few minutes with bated breath to make sure the man was gone.

Then he curled in on himself as much as the binding would allow, and began to shake with silent sobs.


	3. Chapter 3

Joe Hardy awoke just down the hall from his brother, although he did not know that. He too, was handcuffed to a bed, although he was fully clothed, and not blindfolded. His feet had also been left free so he was able to sit up. Only his right hand had been cuffed and he tugged experimentally to see if he could escape; the bed failed to even shift, it appeared that it was screwed into the ground.

He scanned the room for his brother but could not find him anywhere; he remembered being shoved into the back of a van alongside his brother, so he was pretty sure that Frank had to be here somewhere.

"Frank!" He called loudly hoping for a response although he knew it was a longshot. No response came.

A few minutes later the doorknob jiggled and Joe allowed himself to hope briefly that his brother had somehow managed to escape and was coming to break him out.

A tall man entered the room; he was around six feet three inches in height if Joe were to guess, with brown hair and steely blue eyes.

Joe knew that the fact that he was not blindfolded and the man was not wearing a mask did not bode well for his longevity.

"Where's Frank?" Joe demanded rather than waiting for his captor to speak.

"I heard you were rude, Joseph, but this is quite beyond the imagination, didn't your parents teach you any manners?" The tall man inquired in a seemingly pleasant tone.

"Where's my brother?" Joe repeated, ignoring the man's comment.

"He is indisposed." His captor replied coolly.

"You better not touch him," Joe exclaimed.

"It's too late for that, I'm afraid, but don't worry your precious older brother will be just fine. Physically that is. I would be more worried about yourself," he commented. "I mean, I know your brother's supposed to be the smart one, but since you have been kidnapped a number of times it should be fairly obvious to you that the fact that you are not blindfolded, and I am not wearing a mask means that I have no intention of you're leaving here…alive that is to say." The man spoke in a cool tone that held an undercurrent of amusement along with something more sinister.

"What do you want from us?" The younger Hardy demanded. He knew that if Frank were there he would tell him to keep quiet and not risk angering their captor. But Frank wasn't there, and Joe wasn't inclined to keep calm.

"Well, at the moment I want you to smile for the camera, Joseph."

Before Joe had a chance to respond, the man snapped a picture of him and was headed towards the door.

"I will be back to check on you later. Right now I have some mail to deliver."

Joe waited quietly for what felt like an eternity, but was in actuality only around ten minutes. He then began to pull furiously on his handcuffed wrist in the hopes that the metal frame of the bed would give way and he would be able to make his escape and find his brother. No such luck.

He wondered where Frank was, and if his brother was okay. He wondered what their captor meant when he said that he should be more worried about himself than Frank, that Frank would be physically okay; did the man plan to kill Joe in front of his older brother?


	4. Chapter 4

"A man dropped this off at police headquarters less than an hour ago," Ezra Collig announced grimly to the room of FBI agents and assorted cops that made up the Hardy Kidnapping Task Force. He held a yellow envelope in his hands.

"Is the man in custody?" Con Reilly questioned immediately, fighting down an anxious flip in his stomach as he wondered what was in the envelope.

"Yes, but we haven't been able to get much of anything out of him. He's homeless, and doesn't seem to be quite all there. The only thing I could get out of him was that a tall, Caucasian man, wearing a hat and sunglasses came up to him and offered him five hundred dollars to deliver this to the police station. It's not much, but it is more than we had before. Our witness says that the man was taller than him, and he's probably about five feet ten inches. He was unable to give us an estimate beyond that, but we can at least eliminate suspects who are below that height for the most part, along with any non-white candidates." Collig continued and with a heavy sigh he opened the envelope and pulled out two items, a sheet of paper and a photograph.

He walked over to the board where they had been tacking clues up thus far, and attached the two items.

The photograph was a picture of Joe Hardy, there was no corresponding picture of Frank.

The note read as follows:

_Dear Esteemed Crime Fighters of New York,_

_I have taken custody of Frank and Joe Hardy and will be retaining them for a while. As you can see from the photograph, Joe is alive and well, he is also quite ill-behaved, and rude. You would think a famous detective could do a better job of teaching his son some manners but I digress. _

_I am sure you are wondering about Frank, unfortunately I am disinclined to give you any information about him at present. _

_Please alert Mr. and Mrs. Hardy that I will return one of their sons to them eventually. In the meantime you have little chance of finding either boy, so I would stop wasting resources on the endeavor. _

_Warm Regards,_

_The Nameless Man_

"The nameless man?" Con questioned. "Is that significant? Or is he just indicating that he has no name for our purposes?"

"It's significant." Special Agent Nick Pierce, the head FBI agent assigned to the Hardy case said grimly. "The Nameless Man is the head of a criminal organization run out of we suspect, upstate New York. The name was linked to a number of major robberies and deaths in the area, but we could never figure out who he was. Around five years ago he seemed to stop committing any crimes, we stopped hearing the name, and we thought, well hoped, that he had died. It looks like that isn't the case however."

"There is no picture of Frank Hardy in there," Ezra Collig finally put words to what they were all thinking.

"You don't think…" Con trailed off, the implication that Frank was dead lay heavy in the air.

"If I may, sir," Special Agent Maureen Drake stood up and looked first to her boss and then to Chief Collig for permission to speak.

Agent Pierce nodded in reply, and Chief Collig waved a hand in permission.

Agent Drake was the FBI profiler assigned to the case. "I don't think Frank Hardy is dead. I think the kidnapper is toying with us," She said grimly. "He says, 'I will return one of their sons to them eventually,' the obvious thing to think is that he means Joe. However, if he intended to return Joe why the ambiguity? He makes it clear that Joe is currently alive and well and doesn't want to give us any information about Frank. Which in turn leads us to think that Frank is probably the one he's going to kill, if he hasn't already, however I think that he actually intends to kill Joe. The entire note is intended to make the Hardys think that Frank is dead and have hope they will get Joe back safe. I think he intends to turn around and kill Joe Hardy right when we think we will get him back. As for Frank, I think we will get him back, but I don't know in what condition."

A shudder collectively ran down the spines of everyone in the room as she spoke.

"I've read the case files of the other crimes he has been connected with, and he is one sick freak. He likes to toy with his victims, to give hope and then take it away. Now, what I have said is only a theory, but I think you'll find that I'm right about this." With that final comment she sat down.

"What are we going to tell the Hardy's?"


	5. Chapter 5

The hands were back. They made their way up and down Frank's arms, stroking, caressing, violating. They moved over his chest, swept across his sides, and drifted steadily downward.

Frank stifled sobs.

The weight on the bed shifted.

"Please stop." Frank was ashamed to hear how weak he sounded.

The hands did not stop.

Instead one of the hands firmly took hold of his genitals and began to stroke.

Frank froze in horror.

As abruptly as he had begun, the man released him. He got off the bed, and ran a hand through the teenager's hair, before exiting the room.

Frank leaned as far to the side of the bed as he could and threw up.


	6. Chapter 6

"Why, hello, Joseph, and how are you doing this evening?"

"Where. Is. My. Brother." Joe demanded through gritted teeth.

"Safe for now." His captor replied breezily. "More or less."

"I want to see him."

"I don't think so." The Nameless Man remarked coolly. "Anyway, I brought you some food," he tossed a McDonald's bag toward him. "There's a water bottle in there as well. I figured you wouldn't eat anything that wasn't prepackaged, but don't worry, I won't poison you, I have far more painful things in mind."

With that last encouraging remark Joe's kidnapper turned and left the room.

Normally, when Joe was kidnapped along with his brother they were left in the same room. The deviation worried Joe; he hoped that it was only an indication that his captor thought they might escape if they could speak to each other, and not an indication that his brother was horribly injured or worse…

He had a horrible feeling in the pit of his stomach that Frank was badly hurt.

He tried to shove such thoughts to the back of his mind and scanned the room for clues that he could use to figure out where they were. Joe had no idea how much time had passed since they went missing but he figured that it couldn't have been much more than a day.

The room he was in had two doors. One which his captor had come in and out of both times and one which he had not seen opened. The walls were a bare bones industrial shade of white. There were no windows, and the floor was covered in that thin bluish-gray carpet commonly found in office buildings.

Everything about the room screamed that it was an office of some sort. Joe was tempted to scream in the hopes that it was still an active workplace, but he was pretty sure that his captor would not be so stupid, which meant that they must be in an abandoned building of some sort.

He wondered whether they were still in New York. It seemed likely that they were, or at least in a bordering state, because he did not think much time had passed, nor could he see how their captor would have gotten them on a plane unnoticed.

Joe scanned the room one last time for clues and when it became apparent that no more were forthcoming he turned his attention to the fast food bag.

He considered not eating it out of spite, but one lesson he had learned after being kidnapped multiple times was not to turn your nose up at food, if you could be reasonably certain it was not poisoned. And so, with considerably less than his usual gusto, Joe began to eat.


	7. Chapter 7

"We have a picture of Joe." Collig informed the gathered Hardys. "Before you ask, we don't have anything on Frank." The police chief added quickly. He pulled a copy of the photo out of the file he had with him.

Joe appeared to be more or less okay in the picture. There were no obvious injuries. The teenager looked angry but that was no surprise to any of them.

"Was there anything else with the picture?" Fenton asked.

Collig really wished that he didn't have to answer his friend's questions. He glanced warily at Laura Hardy before speaking. "There was a note. I can't show it to you, since you aren't working on this investigation in an official capacity, and we can't disclose details about an ongoing investigation. However, I can tell you that we are fairly sure that both of your sons are alive. We think he only included the photograph of Joe to make you afraid. We don't think he has actually hurt Frank."

It was a cold sort of comfort, but a comfort all the same.

"How did the letter arrive at headquarters?" Fenton inquired after letting out a brief sigh of relief.

"The man who has your sons paid a homeless man to deliver it. From what we were able to gather whoever has them is above five feet ten inches, and white. Beyond that we don't know much. However, he signed his note 'the Nameless Man.' Have you ever investigated any cases involving him, Fenton?"

"Not that I know of," The private investigator replied after wracking his brain for several minutes. "And, I don't think Frank and Joe have either."

"There has to be some sort of connection," Special Agent Pierce broke in. The agent had been quiet until then, and Fenton had almost forgotten the FBI agent was there. "Our profiler says that this definitely seems personal. This isn't a random kidnapping, whoever has your sons is seeking revenge either on your or on them. We need to figure out what that connection is and if we could do that we may be able to find your sons."

"What do you suggest?" Laura Hardy asked quietly.

"The next thing we are going to do is take your husband's case files, along with your sons' and compile a list of suspects who match the description we got from the homeless man. Then we're going to start interviewing people, and see what we find." Pierce explained.

"We will do absolutely everything we can to bring your sons home safe, Laura." Collig reached across the coffee table and patted his old friend on the hand.

"I know," Laura replied in a world weary tone. "I think I am going to go lie down for a while."


	8. Chapter 8

The acrid stench of vomit invaded Mark Anderson's nostrils as he walked into the room. He fought back a chuckle as he eyed his captive who had curled in on himself and was shaking silently on the bed.

He saw Frank flinch when he heard the door open. Anderson did not stay long however, instead he left the room to go get a mop and some other cleaning supplies.

He soon returned and began to noisily clean the mess. He watched as Frank attempted to scoot as far to the other end of the bed as possible to get away from him.

Destroying Fenton Hardy's eldest son was almost too easy.

He briefly ran an index finger up Frank's arm, enjoying the shudder that wracked the teenager's body. He then gathered up the mop and bucket, and left the room.

He paused at the door and watched as Frank's shaking increased still more.


	9. Chapter 9

Mark Anderson strolled into Joe's room bright and early the next morning. The blond was already awake. He wondered briefly whether the teenager had slept at all, not that it mattered to him one way or the other.

"I am going to allow you to use the bathroom and take a shower, don't even think about trying anything, however," Anderson paused and pulled open his jacket to reveal a holstered handgun. He took it out and leveled it on the blond teen. He carefully unlocked the handcuffs with his left hand, while holding the gun on Joe with his right. "Get up."

Joe eyed the gun speculatively and wondered if he could get away with hitting it out of his hand and making a run for it. He decided against it in the absence of more information about the number of captors and the condition of his brother.

Anderson pushed him toward the second of the two doors Joe had noticed the day before. "I'm going to lock you in," The room turned out to be a windowless bathroom. "The only things you will find in here are a roll of toilet paper, a towel, some mouthwash, and a bar of soap. Don't try anything, or you will regret it." He pushed Joe the last few feet into the room and locked the door behind him using a key. "I will be back in twenty minutes." He called through the door.

Joe searched the bathroom for anything he could use to escape; unfortunately his captor wasn't wrong about the contents of the room.

The younger Hardy decided to take advantage of the opportunity to use the bathroom and take a shower, who knew when he would get another opportunity.

After exactly twenty minutes the door knob jiggled. Thankfully, Joe was fully dressed at that point.

"Come out with your hands above your head." Anderson's voice instructed through the door.

Joe pulled the door open and immediately placed his hands in the air and walked toward Anderson who swiftly pulled his right wrist down and reattached one side of the handcuffs to it. He then tugged Joe towards the bed and recuffed him.

Joe noticed another McDonald's bag waiting for him. He had a feeling he would soon grow very sick of the Golden Arches.

"Eat. I will be back later." Anderson instructed tersely.

"I want to see Frank."

"All in good time, Joseph."


	10. Chapter 10

Anderson strolled deliberately to Frank's room. "I am going to take you to use the bathroom and bathe. Do not fight me; you will regret it, as will your dear baby brother."

It was the first time Frank had heard his captor speak. He felt the man reach over and uncuff each of his feet. Frank fought the urge to kick him. Only the thought that he might hurt Joe stopped him from lashing out wildly.

Anderson next uncuffed his wrists, only temporarily, however, as Frank soon found them recuffed in front of him. "Stand up." His captor ordered jabbing what Frank was sure was a gun into his ribs.

A wave of dizziness almost brought him to his knees when he got up. He had not eaten since his arrival. His bladder was also about to burst and he had thought he would lose control of it if he had to wait any longer.

His captor did not remove the blindfold.

Frank was marched across the room to a door just like the one in Joe's room. He was forced to sit down on a toilet, or at least that is what it felt like. "Go."

The elder Hardy shook with humiliation.

"Go here, or wet yourself later, it's your choice."

Frank did not need further encouragement. He was then guided into what could only be a bath tub, and made to lie down. His wrists were briefly uncuffed and recuffed to something. He wasn't sure what.

He felt the now familiar hands begin to massage shampoo into his scalp. He shuddered. His captor seemed amused.

Something rough like a washcloth began to swipe its way over his body. He tried to scramble away as it moved lower.

"No, no, Frankie," The voice tutted. "You must accept your punishment."

After what felt like hours, he was guided out of the bathtub. Frank fought down the urge to throw up again. His captor toweled him off and led him back to the room he had been in previously.

His wrists were re-cuffed above his head, and his legs were once again cuffed to separate ends of the footboard.

"Drink."

Frank felt the familiar plastic of a water bottle against his lips.

He wondered if it was poisoned, and then he wondered if he cared.

After he drank a little, he felt something soft against his mouth.

"Open."

Frank didn't.

"It's just food. Now open your mouth." His captor demanded again.

The food in questioned turned out to be a French fry which was followed by a burger. The taste was familiar, clearly a fast food restaurant though he couldn't be sure which one.

When the food was gone, his captor stood up to leave. "I will return later, Frankie, and perhaps we shall have some more _fun_."

"Where's my brother." Frank called after him.

There was no answer save the decisive snap of the door as it was shut.


	11. Chapter 11

Joe had been missing for three days now and Vanessa Bender was positively sick with worry. She had been feeling horribly nauseous, to the point that her Mom was threatening her with a visit to the doctor.

She waved off her mother's concerns with the assurance that she was just worried about Frank and Joe.

And, she truly was worried about them both.

They had both been kidnapped many times before, but this time Vanessa had a very bad feeling in the pit of her stomach. A very bad feeling.

She heard the doorbell ring, and hurried downstairs to answer it.

She found her close friend, and Frank's girlfriend, Callie Shaw on the other end of the door.

Callie looked pale and drawn. She and Frank had been together for years¸ and had been close friends before that. "Van," the shorter blonde greeted holding her arms open for a hug.

Vanessa obligingly returned the gesture. "Have you heard anything?" She asked.

"Not really. I don't want to bother the Hardy's, I know they must be going out of their minds with worry. Mr. Hardy was nice enough to call my house yesterday, and he told me that they received a note from the kidnappers and a picture of Joe." Callie's voice wavered a little. "I-I told him I would pass on the message to you."

"Oh, _Callie_." Vanessa said sympathetically.

"I'm really worried, Vanessa," The older teen remarked. "I don't know what to do."

"Everything is going to be okay," Vanessa whispered, although she wasn't at all sure that it would be. "Why don't I make us some tea?" She suggested and swiftly steered her friend towards the kitchen.


	12. Chapter 12

"I think it's time for you to know what's coming to you, Joseph." Anderson announced in a tone that was one part grim, two parts amused.

Joe simply starred back at his kidnapper and did not utter a response; his stomach gave an apprehensive flip however.

"Once upon a time, I had two sons, just like you and Frank, and just like the two of you they decided to follow their father into the family business-"

"Kidnapping? Murder? Theft?" Joe suggested.

Anderson gave his captive a warning look. "Your father arrested both of my children for their involvement in a simple warehouse robbery. My younger son was killed in a gunfight with the police, he was always so impulsive, I would have gotten him off, we could afford the best lawyers, and I'm a well-respected member of the community,"

"Obviously your community is a terrible judge of character,"

"Watch yourself, Joseph." Anderson cautioned the teen. My older son was arrested, and repeatedly raped in prison by his cellmate. He later killed himself. But, I hold your father responsible for his death, just the same as my younger son's. And, now I am going to let him feel what I felt."

Joe turned ashen. "You're not going to…" He couldn't quite bring himself to say the word out loud.

"Frank will receive the same treatment as my son, and like my son, he will be left alive to dwell in his misery, and returned to his parents in one piece more or less. You, will not be so lucky. Although, I may be so kind as to mail your body back to your parents, piece by piece…"

Joe shuddered. "Don't touch my brother!"

"It's too late." Anderson said with a chuckle of amusement.

"You r-raped him?" Joe stumbled over the words.

"Not yet, but I've laid the groundwork shall we say. Don't worry, when we go all the way, I'll let you watch." Anderson said in faux-comforting tone. "And, after that I'll kill you, right in front of your precious older brother." isC


	13. Chapter 13

Frank shuddered as the door to his room swung open.

"We're moving towards the endgame, Frankie." Anderson announced cheerfully. "I think it's about time that we let your parents know your condition, don't you?"

"N-no." Frank stuttered. "Please don't."

"Maybe I should send the photos to your precious girlfriend."

"Photos?" Frank asked hesitantly.

"Ah, yes, say cheese, Frankie!" His captor requested.

Frank heard the click of the camera, and instinctively attempted to curl up and shield himself. The handcuffs did not allow him to move very far.

"Don't be shy," Anderson said disapprovingly. "Don't you want to give your girlfriend a picture worth seeing?"

"Please don't send it to Callie." Frank begged. He wondered what his girlfriend would think if she saw a picture of him as he looked now, pathetic and weak, at the mercy of another male. She would never be able to look him in the eye again, probably, she would never want to. The rational part of his mind told him that Callie wouldn't feel that way, but the emotional side told him that she would never be able to look at him the same again.

"I mean she's seen it all before, right?" Anderson asked.

Frank was silent.

"Don't tell me you're a virgin, Frankie." His captor continued tauntingly. "Not man enough to have sex with your girlfriend? Maybe you prefer a man to take control of you? I know you liked it when I touched you, the way you reacted to me, I can always tell."

"I didn't!" Frank exclaimed sharply.

"Oh, you most certainly did, Frankie, you most certainly did."

With that comment, Anderson headed towards the door. Although he couldn't resist getting in one final jab at the teenager, "I'm sure your girlfriend will enjoy this picture…"

**A/N Just to be clear, I am not making Frank gay, Anderson is simply saying what he says to get into Frank's head and cause psychological damage.**


	14. Chapter 14

Frank had now been missing for five days and Callie was going out of her mind with worry. She had not heard anything from the Hardys since Mr. Hardy had called her about the note that came with the picture of Joe.

Her parents were forcing her to go to school although she had not really been able to pay any attention to what was happening in any of her classes.

She paused at the mailbox on her way into the house as was her habit, and began to sort through the mail. It was mostly bills, and there was hardly anything addressed to her normally; she paused when she came across a letter with her name neatly typed across the front and no return address.

Her stomach flipped anxiously, and she wondered if she should open it.

She carefully slid open the envelope and pulled out the letter.

_Dear Miss Shaw,_

_I have had the pleasure of your boyfriend's company for the past five days. I am given to understand that the he and I have gotten farther than the two of you ever did. _

_I trust that this note will make its way to the authorities as well as the Hardys, but I thought you would like to know your boyfriend's situation. _

_Enclosed you will find a photograph._

_Best wishes,_

_The Nameless Man_

Callie felt dizzy, and she knew that she should not reach into the envelope and find the photograph, she knew in every fiber of her being that she would regret it, but she couldn't stop herself, she had to see that Frank was alive.

She pulled out the photo, glanced at it, and quickly dropped it on the floor.

She quickly ran to the bathroom and threw up violently. She didn't think she would ever get the image out of her head.

Callie allowed herself only a few moments to pause and compose herself after that, she got up and dialed the number for the Bayport police station. Less than fifteen minutes later her house was host to an assortment of officers and FBI agents.


	15. Chapter 15

"This doesn't look good." Con Riley murmured to Special Agent Pierce.

"Not at all," The FBI agent agreed. "This is one of the last things you want to have to tell a parent." He added as he watched Agent Drake speak quietly to Callie Shaw about the note.

They had officers and agents canvassing her neighborhood questioning people about what they saw. The note had no return address which indicated that someone had physically placed it in Callie's mailbox.

If they got really lucky one of her neighbors may have seen something.

…They did not get lucky.

Whoever had Frank and Joe Hardy was very good at covering their tracks.

Which meant it was time to go talk to the Hardy's.

Agent Pierce went with Chief Collig to talk to the parents. Normally, the FBI wasn't inclined to allow local cops this level of involvement, but he had been more flexible than usual as he thought that keeping the locals involved would prevent the father from going off half-cocked in search of his sons.

Of course he knew that Fenton Hardy had been combing his case files, and searching for signs of his sons through his contacts.

He also knew that Fenton Hardy had no luck thus far.

"Can we come in, Laura?" Collig asked when Laura Hardy opened the door to the house on Elm Street.

"Of course," Laura stepped to the side to let the two men enter. She looked extremely pale, and had dark circles under her eyes.

"Is your husband home?" Agent Pierce queried.

"He's in his study, if you would follow me, I will take you to him," Laura led them up the stairs; she knocked briefly on her husband's door before going in.

"Ezra and Agent Pierce are here," Laura comment unnecessarily as she went to stand behind her husband.

Fenton gestured for the two men to take the seats in front of his desk. Laura perched on the arm of Fenton's chair.

"You have news," Fenton stated rather than asked.

"We have a photo of Frank," Collig said hesitantly. "It was dropped off with a letter to Callie Shaw earlier this afternoon."

"We're leaving an unmarked police car at her house; we've also put one at Vanessa's in case he decides to send one to her." Agent Pierce put in.

"What aren't you saying?" Fenton asked warily.

Agent Pierce and Chief Collig exchanged a hesitant glance.

"Frank doesn't have any clothes on in the picture, and there is reason to believe based off the note to Callie that he may have been assaulted." Agent Pierce offered after a pause.

Laura gasped and leaned heavily against her husband. Fenton turned horribly pale.

"We don't know for sure," Collig hastened to add. "But, you should prepare yourselves."

"We are working to narrow the suspects to those associated with sexual assault in some way who also match the physical description, we're right on the edge of putting this together. There has to be some kind of connection between the Nameless Man and you or your sons. And since, the previous crimes that were linked to him do not include sexual assault we think maybe someone close to him was assaulted, or perhaps he was briefly in jail himself without anyone connecting him to his pseudonym and larger crimes, and was assaulted there sometime in the past five years." Agent Pierce tried to strike a balance between hope and realism.

"Can I see the note?" Fenton requested. "Can I see both notes?"

"I don't know, Mr. Hardy," Agent Pierce looked hesitant.

"Look, if this is a revenge thing, I am the most qualified person to connect the dots. I might be able to figure out who it is if you let me see the notes." The private investigator reasoned.

"I guess so." The FBI agent agreed. "Go ahead," He said with a nod to Chief Collig who pulled copies of both notes out of the file folder he carried with them and handed them to Fenton across the desktop.

Fenton read both notes in silence, and then leaned back in his chair, and shut his eyes tightly.

Something niggled at him in the back of his mind.

There was something there, just out of reach.

He could figure this out.


	16. Chapter 16

The hands were all over him.

He felt sick.

The hands slid underneath him. He felt one lift his hips up while the other hand began to massage his backside.

He fought against the hands.

The hand holding his hip squeezed tightly in warning. He could feel the nails digging into him.

He felt a finger trace the crease, and then force its way in, all the way in.

Frank screamed.

His captor laughed.

"Don't worry, Frankie, you won't be a virgin for very much longer."

A second finger joined the first.

Frank felt tears slip past his tightly closed eyelids and found he was grateful for the blindfold.

"S-stop it," Frank begged, he tried to push his legs closer together and pushed back against the intrusion.

"Don't make me hurt you, Frankie."

"Just kill me," Frank heard himself beg as though from far away.

"I don't think so."

His captor withdrew his fingers. "I'll be back later, prepare yourself."


	17. Chapter 17

FBI sources have remained tight lipped with regard to any information they may have about the boy's whereabouts. Earlier this week police cars were seen surrounding the home of Frank's girlfriend, whose name we can't disclose due to her age. It is rumored that the kidnapper reached out to the girl via a written communication, although we have been unable to substantiate that report." The blonde newscaster, Anne Marie Hastings explained in a solemn town. "What do you think about all of this business, Jim?" she continued turning to her co-anchor.

"It's an absolute shame. I understand the like father, like sons concept, but it seems to me that teenagers shouldn't be allowed to go cavorting after criminals, it seems much too dangerous if you ask me…"

"I'm inclined to agree with you as to that, Jim," Anne Marie said with a nod. "But, my heart truly goes out to the parents of those boys, I'm sure that it was never their intention for anything like this to happen when they allowed their sons to get mixed up with this kind of work…"

"They must really be blaming themselves right about now," Jim agreed.

"Before we turn to Marybeth with the weather, I would remind the viewers that anyone with information on the whereabouts of either Frank or Joe Hardy should phone the Bayport Police Station or the New York Branch of the Federal Bureau of Investigations."

Fenton Hardy rested his head in his hands, and felt a sob silently wrack his body.

He wondered if his sons were still alive.


	18. Chapter 18

Frank wished he knew if Joe was okay. He wished that this wasn't happening at all.

He felt himself beginning to shut down, to close himself from the horrible reality that he found himself in.

He stopped himself from withdrawing completely into himself with the thought that Joe could be hurt. He was terrified that their captor had done the same things to Joe that he did to Frank.

And if not, he wondered if Joe knew what had happened to him.

He wondered if Joe would be able to look at him the same way again.

He wondered if anyone would ever find them.

And, he wondered if he even wanted them to, he wondered if he would be able to remove the shame he felt from his skin, and if other people would see it on him like some horrifying brand of weakness.

He wondered whether he would ever be worthy of respect again.

But most all, he wondered if he even wanted to go on living after this.


	19. Chapter 19

"It's your lucky day, Joseph I'm going to let you see your brother." Anderson announced brightly. "Of course that also means that you're going to be dead soon, but don't sweat the small stuff."

It looked like the time to figure out an escape plan was drawing nearer. Joe hesitated to attempt an escape without knowing where Frank was, or what his condition was, but if Anderson was planning to tie up loose ends, he needed to get the hell out of dodge, preferably with his older brother in tow.

Failing that, he needed to get ahold of a phone, figure out exactly where they were and get ahold of the police.

"Hey, do you think your brother will cry when I take his virginity?" Anderson taunted breaking Joe out of his reverie.

That was too much for the younger Hardy who took a swing at his captor. Anderson merely took a step back and out of reach.

"Temper, temper, Joseph."

Anderson reached into his jacket and pulled out his gun. "I hate that I have to threaten you this way, Joseph. Escape is futile, so you might as well give up on struggling, and maybe I'll make you're death a little less painful."

Joe spat at his captor.

Anderson swiftly backhanded him across the face with enough force to knock him back on the bed. "I guess you aren't ready to see your brother. I will return when you have learned some manners."

Joe cursed himself for his temper.

He had almost gotten to see his brother, only to ruin it with his own bad temper.

Frank always warned him that his temper would get him in trouble.

He wondered how his brother was, and what Anderson meant by laying the groundwork. He needed to get them both out of here before Anderson took the final step.


	20. Chapter 20

"Hey, Frankie, I'm curious," Anderson remarked as he ran a hand idly up and down the teenager's body enjoying the shivers of fear that shook the boy. "Do you think anyone in your family will be able to look at you the same way again once they find out what happened, or do you think you'll always be some pathetic weakling they have to take care of? Thoughts?"

Frank began to work on a complex derivative in his head and tried to pretend that he wasn't considering Anderson's questions.

"I'm going to bring your brother in to watch soon." Anderson continued when no response seemed forthcoming. "And, then of course I'm going to kill him shortly after that. But, you should be grateful for that, since it will be one less person who will know how pathetic you are. And, Joe will benefit since he won't have to live with such a sorry excuse for an older brother."

Frank began to hum loudly in an attempt to tune out his captor.

Anderson responded by grabbing hold of his captive's genitals again. "Maybe I should show you how much you like this," He began to move his hand swiftly up and down.

Frank fought to think of math, of previous cases, of anything but what was currently happening.

Anderson continued his motions until he coerced an orgasm out of his captive. "It looks like you like this a little more than you would care to admit, Frankie." He whispered into the teenager's ear. "Who will believe that you didn't want this after they see the video I just took? You can't rape the willing after all…"

Frank swallowed hard as hot tears of shame forced their way through his closed eyelids.

"I wonder if your girlfriend will stay with you now." Anderson added. "Ah, well, that's something for you to ponder for the rest of the night. Tomorrow is the big day, Frankie."


	21. Chapter 21

Fenton Hardy had not slept in days. Or at least it seemed that way. He had woken up after falling asleep on a case file for an hour or so more than once, but he had not actually intentionally gone to bed since they discovered that Frank and Joe were missing.

As he sat pondering the names before him, he was suddenly struck with an epiphany like a bolt from the blue.

"The Anderson brothers!" He exclaimed aloud. He pulled his file on the brothers out from underneath a stack of files. The two brothers had been arrested following a string of electronics warehouse robberies. Fenton had been hired to investigate them. The younger brother had been killed during a shootout with police who were trying to arrest him. They had managed to arrest the older brother, who was unfortunately raped in prison, and killed himself prior to his trial. They were from a wealthy family with a lot of money that no one was quite sure where it came from. Their father was a powerful businessman in upstate New York. On the one or two occasions that Fenton had seen the man, he had not liked the look of him at all.

It would make a twisted sort of sense for the man to kidnap Fenton's own sons, and all the details in that regard fit. It explained the indications of possible sexual assault toward Frank, and the seeming death threats toward Joe.

Fenton quickly reached for the phone on his desk and dialed the number for the Bayport Police Headquarters.

Unbeknownst to the detective, Mark Anderson had placed a phone tap on the detective's home line and thus heard every word of his conversation.

He knew it would take at least twenty-four hours for them to manage to get a warrant to search his properties, if not longer as they had no proof beyond the circumstantial, and he was a fairly powerful man in his community, and a regular contributor to judicial campaigns and political elections.

Which meant it was time to shatter Frank Hardy, kill his brother and abandon ship. He deliberately made his way to Joe Hardy's room.


	22. Chapter 22

-Break-

"Come along, Joseph," Anderson demanded tersely, unlocking Joe's handcuffs with one hand and holding a gun on the teenager with the other. He forcibly tugged the blond by his upper arm down the hall.

He stopped at the room before Frank's.

The building they were in used to be used by one of his front companies. They would do market research here, and hold focus groups. The focus groups took place in Frank's room, executives would watch from the room next door through a large one way mirror.

He led Joe into that room and sat him forcibly in a chair. He then procured a roll of duct tape and proceeded to secure his captive to the chair. He made sure Joe had a good view of his brother through the window.

He could see that the teenager looked revolted when he spotted his bound and naked brother.

"Don't touch him," Joe begged his voice cracking.

"I'm afraid I have to. If you want to blame someone, blame your father." Anderson responded.

"I blame you, you sick fuck." Joe replied angrily.

"You know, Joseph, I tire very much of your rudeness. Now pull yourself together." Anderson commanded.

"Leave him alone! _Please_!"

"No can do." Anderson said before exiting the room.

Joe was left frozen in terror. He wondered if his brother could hear him. He decided to test it. "Frank! Frank!" He called loudly. There was no reaction.

_Stay calm, Hardy_. He cautioned himself. _Examine your surroundings._ In his experience with one way mirrors there was generally some sort of intercom that would allow him to be heard on the other side. He began to scan the wall with the mirror carefully.

And, he spotted a likely button mounted on the wall to his right. Joe began to rock back and forth in his chair speculatively. Maybe he could manage to scoot over that way?

If he could get to the button what could he do though? Would his presence comfort his brother? The answer to that, Joe realized, was probably not. Which meant that pressing the button probably would not be all that helpful. He scanned the room instead for a sharp edge or a tool or anything that he could use to break through the duct tape.

He spotted a large nail sticking out from the wall, and attempted to make his way towards it. Although his chair it was hard to gain the leverage to move while taped up.

This was not going to be an easy task at all.


	23. Chapter 23

"We're going to need more evidence than a hunch, Fenton." Ezra Collig remarked with a sigh later that day. "You're right that everything fits, and after pulling up Anderson's DMV data he definitely fits the description we got from the homeless man, but we're going to need more than that to get a federal judge to sign off on a warrant." The chief continued grimly.

"Don't mistake us, Mr. Hardy, we will do absolutely everything we can to get your sons back, and between you and me, I think you're right about this." Agent Pierce added. "As we speak agents are conducting a photo lineup with our homeless man to see if he can identify Anderson as the man who gave him the note. If he picks him out, there's a chance that a judge will give us a warrant."

"We already have agents narrowing down his property holdings to compile a list of the most likely locations to hold kidnap victims. Once we get the go ahead we will hit the top five locations, if we don't find your sons at any of those, we will work our way through the rest of his holdings." Chief Collig hastened to explain.

"Bring my sons back." Fenton requested.

"We've got this, Fenton." Con Riley said confidently. "We're going to nail the bastard to the wall."

The door to Collig's office flew open and Agent Drake burst in. "We've got him! Not only did our homeless man identify him, we found a neighbor of Callie Shaw's who says a "new mail man" delivered the mail the day the letter came from the kidnapper. I took her through a photo lineup and she picked Anderson out as well." She exclaimed, and then without missing a beat she turned to her boss, raised an eyebrow and said: "Judge Michaels?"

Judge Aaron Michaels had a reputation for being tough on crime, and disdainful of anyone who tried to buy influence. He was from a wealthy, uppercrust New York family and could afford to take the political hits that came with ignoring the wishes of the high and mighty.

"Let's head to his chambers now." Agent Pierce said with a nod. "In the meanwhile, Chief Collig, go pressure the agents working on the location list and tell them I want them to have a top five and be ready to head out in thirty minutes."

"Will do." The chief agreed, as he headed for the meeting room the agents were working in, he paused briefly to rest a hand on his friend's shoulder. "We're going to get him."


	24. Chapter 24

Vanessa's hand shook as she starred down at the piece of cheap plastic she held in her hand.

At first she thought that she just felt sick over Joe, until it occurred to her that her period was also over a week late.

She drove out of town to purchase the pregnancy test in fear that someone would recognize her if hse purchased it in Bayport.

She felt like crying and wondered how she could be so stupid as to allow this to happen.

Her mother was going to kill her.

The timer dinged loudly, reverberating in the empty bathroom.

She never thought a little purple plus sign could look so hateful.

She wondered what would happen if Joe was never found, she wondered how she could possibly manage this alone, and she wondered whether Joe would be in any condition to help her if they got him back at all.

Vanessa felt sick.

She saw all her dreams being pulled out of her reach. For one wild moment she considered abortion, but discarded it quickly knowing that she could never go through with it.

She was so royally screwed.


	25. Chapter 25

Frank was hyper aware of his surroundings, he could swear that he would be able to detect a shift in an air current in his state.

He was keenly aware of every creak the old building made.

He flinched as he detected the sound of the room's door creaking open.

His captor did not speak. Perhaps because he knew his silence scarred Frank more than his words.

Frank steeled himself for the feeling of the hands. He did not think he would ever be able to forget what those hands felt like running up and down his body.

He didn't have to wait long for the hands to set to work. They stroked nimbly up and down his arms, across his chest, and cut a firm swath up his thighs.

He wished the hands would stop moving. He knew they wouldn't.

He felt a now familiar finger force its way inside of him; it was soon followed by a second one.

He wasn't naïve enough to believe that his captor was doing this to make what would follow less painful. He had a strong notion that he was doing this to prolong the experience, and to heighten the horror.

As if in confirmation of his thoughts, the other hand grabbed hold of him and began to stroke.

Frank struggled to suppress feelings of unwanted arousal.

The logical part of his mind knew that it was a natural bodily response that he could not suppress.

At the same time he felt horrified with himself and more than a little nauseous.

The fingers abruptly withdrew and he felt his captor settling between his forcibly spread legs.

And, then his world exploded with a pain that he had never experienced.


	26. Chapter 26

Joe leaned furiously against the nail, he had managed to puncture the duct tape a little, and had formed a small rip. It was slow work, but he could feel the tape loosening little by little.

Unwillingly he could also see what was going on in the other room. He knew he needed to get out of here, as swiftly as possible.

The tape loosened a little more.

Joe flexed his muscles and was rewarded with further loosening. He struggled to reposition himself, and managed to get his right hand at such an angle that he could reach the torn bit of tape.

His wrist ached painfully with the effort, but he managed to grab hold of one side of the tear, and pull upward. The first layer of tape split and Joe began the slow task of unwinding himself.

His captor had wrapped the tape around him at least five times so it was certainly going to be a slow task.

Although his brother seemingly could not hear him, Joe could hear Frank; he could hear each and every scream his brother let out as that monster took something he would never get back.

Joe had to get out of here. _Now_.


	27. Chapter 27

To the great joy of the members of the Hardy Kidnapping Task Force Judge Michaels granted the warrant to search the properties of one Mark Anderson.

The agents and police officers working on compiling the list of likely locations had selected the five best targets, which included two defunct office buildings, two warehouses, and an old house.

They would hit all five locations immediately. The closest one was thirty minutes from Bayport, and the furthest a three hour drive. As a result they were forced to enlist local police at the further away locations so that they could hit them all at once.

They didn't want to risk tipping Anderson off if it turned out he had Frank and Joe at one of the further locations. They just hoped that they would find Frank and Joe at one of these five locations; otherwise their chances of finding them before Anderson managed to escape were slim to none.

The FBI had also put out an APB on all vehicles listed in Anderson's name, and put all airports, train stations, and bus stations near the top five locations on high alert.

"Attention, all teams! We are a go, move in!" Agent Pierce commanded via radio from his position at police headquarters. He was responsible for coordinating all five teams from Bayport Police Headquarters.

"Copy that!" The team commanders of all five teams responded quickly.


	28. Chapter 28

Joe stripped away the last of the duct tape and jumped to his feet. He scanned the room for a likely weapon, but none seemed forthcoming.

The only object with any heft seemed to be a wooden stool which while not exactly his first choice for a weapon, would have to do.

He pondered his next move, should he just burst into the room, or should he wait for Anderson to leave the room, and hit him over the head as he walked out.

Joe knew what Frank would say.

He glanced through the window to make sure that Anderson was still occupied to say the least. Once Joe established that he was, he cautiously pulled down on the door handle. It gave way easily.

He stepped carefully into the hallway, and glanced around the corners for any sign of life.

Joe stopped outside the door to his brother's room and steeled himself for his next move. He was too late to save Frank from the trauma Anderson intended, but maybe, just maybe he could get the both of them out of there alive.

He opened the door the tiniest crack and peeked through.

Anderson did not seem to notice. His back was to him.

Just as Joe was about to burst into the room he heard a sound down the hallway and quickly spun around as quietly as possible.

Maybe he was wrong and his captor had more help than he thought.


	29. Chapter 29

Joe breathed a sigh of relief when he spotted the familiar uniform of a S.W.A.T. officer. The firs t officer pointedly gestured Joe back the way he came.

Normally, Joe would be disinclined to obey the command, but he wasn't willing to risk his brother's life.

Joe was quickly escorted from the building by another S.W.A.T. member.

As soon as he was outside, he was led over to waiting paramedics, which he thought to be completely unnecessary, but he didn't bother arguing once they agreed to hold off on heading to the hospital until his brother was safely extricated from the building.

The officers quietly pushed the door to the room open the rest of the way.

The first S.W.A.T. member managed to get within seven feet or so, before Anderson noticed their presence, and reached for the gun he had placed on a side table by Frank's bed.

"Don't even think about it," The officer warned, as the other members of his team filed into the room behind him all pointing their weapons at Anderson. "Put your hands on your head, right now."

Anderson looked like he still might reach for his weapon, but finally seemed to think better of it and put his hands on his head.

The first S.W.A.T. member, who was the team captain gestured for his second in command to cuff the kidnapper.

Unfortunately, he was still inside the terrified looking, blind-folded teenager.

Two of his team members carefully pulled Anderson backward and out of Frank Hardy.

Captain Jefferies waited until the rapist had been escorted from the room, before he identified himself and approached the bed. "Frank, my name is Captain Brad Jefferies, I am with S.W.A.T."

He paused to allow the shaking teenager to take in that information. "I am going to un-cuff you, but please do not remove your blindfold when I do that. I imagine that he has had that on you for quite a while, and if you remove it in this light it will be extremely painful for you. Do you understand?"

Frank nodded his head silently.

Captain Jefferies felt physically ill at the thought of what had been inflicted on his teenager, but his face betrayed nothing as he located the keys to the handcuffs that bound Frank in the pocket of Anderson's pants which had been left on the floor.

The boy's wrists and ankles were heavily bruised, and had several deep welts wear the cuffs had dug in, probably from him trying to escape or pull away from his attacker.

As soon as he was released, Frank immediately curled in on himself and began to shake with sobs.

"The EMTs are going to come in now and help you to the ambulance, okay?" Captain Jefferies stepped to the side to allow the EMTs and their stretcher to move in.

Frank did not respond at first, but when the EMTs reached out to shift him onto the stretcher he began to kick out wildly. "Don't touch me! _Please_."

"We're going to need to sedate him," The first EMT, a male by the name of Harold Barkley warned Captain Jefferies.

"No!" Frank attempted to scoot away from the EMTs who together with two S.W.A.T. members were forced to hold him down, he was then injected with a sedative, covered in a thick medical blanket, and loaded onto the stretcher, and into the waiting ambulance.

Joe insisted on being allowed to ride along in the same ambulance with his brother. The EMTs allowed it rather than wasting valuable time arguing with the teenager who appeared to be fine for the most part beyond a pretty bad black eye, and some bruising from restraints. Although he was probably dehydrated and would in all likelihood be admitted for twenty-four hours to receive I.V. fluids.

Thankfully they were only thirty minutes away from Bayport, and they were able to take both teenagers to their hometown hospital.

Captain Jefferies called ahead to the special agent in charge so that he could inform the parents. He then headed back into the building to wait for a crime scene investigation unit to arrive.


	30. Chapter 30

Joe and his unconscious brother were immediately hustled into examination rooms. Joe did not have to wait very long for a doctor to come in.

The doctor was a woman who introduced herself as Dr. Debra Nichols.

"Do you mind if I ask you a few questions, while I run some tests, and clean up that eye of yours a little? It looks like you may need some stiches above your eyebrow."

"That's fine." Joe agreed. "Do you know how my brother is?"

"He is currently under the influence of a sedative, but he should be coming out of it shortly. I don't know much other than that, but when we are done here I will go find out for you."

"Thanks." Joe said quietly.

"Now how about you answer some questions for me?" Dr. Nichols requested. "I understand that they may be embarrassing for you, but-"

"I was not sexually assaulted." Joe said flatly.

"Are you sure? It's completely normal to have feelings of shame and not want to tell anyone, but it's important that we give you the proper treatment if you were…"

"I understand," Joe said with a nod. "However, he did not harm me in that way. Just Frank." Joe reiterated.

"I just needed to ask, I apologize if I made you feel uncomfortable in any way." Dr. Nichols said briskly. "I am going to draw some blood, is that all right? After that a nurse is going to come in and stich up that cut above your eye. After I put this blood- work in, I will go and see about your brother."

"Thank you." Joe said quietly.

He remained quiet as a nurse stitched up his wounds. His blood-work revealed that he was dehydrated and he was admitted to the hospital.

His parents arrived shortly after he was settled in a room.


	31. Chapter 31

Dr. Kimberly Stevenson was assigned to Frank Hardy's case upon his arrival at the hospital. Trauma patients were her specialty, and as a female she was considered a safer bet than many of the other doctors given the particular trauma that the teenager had undergone.

His initial blood-work revealed that he was pretty severely dehydrated, and he had been quickly hooked up to IV fluids.

She had also disinfected and wrapped the welts on his wrists and ankles in gauze to prevent infection.

He had been apparently kept blindfolded for the entire eight days he had been missing, and as a result they had placed strong sunglasses on his eyes as soon as they took off the blindfold so that his eyes would have time to adjust to the light once he awoke.

The teenager was also bleeding from his anus, and it was possible that the wound would require some stiches, but she had yet to treat it, because he had not come out from the sedative as of yet, and she needed his consent to conduct the rape kit, which she would do at the same time.

She stood by his bed with a clipboard as he began to stir, and she saw his eyes open beneath the sunglasses.

"Frank? My name is Dr. Stevenson, and I have been assigned to your case. You're in Bayport General Hospital. You're kidnapper is in jail, and your brother has been admitted to the hospital to be treated for dehydration, but is otherwise just fine. You are being treated for dehydration; I also bandaged the wounds on your wrists and ankles." She paused to allow this information to sink in.

The teenager starred at her from behind the glasses with clearly terrified eyes.

"I need your permission to conduct a rape kit. I will tell you everything I am going to do before I do it, but in order to ensure that your attacker remains in jail you need to give your consent for me to collect physical evidence for the police. Do you understand?"

Frank nodded his head but did not speak.

"Do you give your consent?"

The teenager hesitated but finally nodded.

"The first thing I'm going to do is swab for DNA…"


	32. Chapter 32

Fenton and Laura Hardy rushed into their youngest son's room as soon as the doctor's would let them. They swiftly enveloped the sixteen year old in a hug.

Laura Hardy fought back a sob as she stroked her son's hair.

"I'm so glad you're okay, sweetie." She whispered.

Joe returned their embrace, but immediately requested information on his older brother.

"His doctor is going to come in here to let us know how he is once she finishes conducting her examination." Fenton replied carefully. "The FBI will also want to come in here an question you soon."

"I understand," Joe said after a pause.

They sat mostly in silence, each of his parents holding one of his hands, until Frank's doctor arrived.

"Hello, I'm Dr. Stevenson," She introduced herself upon entering the room. "I have some information about your son, Frank, would you like to talk about it here, or would you prefer I take you into a conference room?"

"You can talk about it here," Laura Hardy said after exchanging a brief look with her husband over Joe's head.

"We are treating Frank for severe dehydration; additionally we also treated some welts and bruising on his wrists and ankles. He was kept blindfolded for eight days so we have sunglasses on him as his eye's work to adjust to light again. I won't beat around the bush. Your son was raped. There was some anal bleeding that I had to stich up, but as far as physical wounds it's not bad. It's the mental trauma I'm more worried about. He hasn't spoken since he was sedated, and even then the only thing he did was beg the EMTs to stop touching him. I've requested a psychiatric consult, and a trauma psychologist will be coming to speak with him early tomorrow. Do you have any questions?"

Even though they knew that their son had been raped before she confirmed it, they both turned horribly ashen as she spoke.

Laura Hardy shook her head in response after a while.

"Thank you, doctor." Fenton Hardy said finally.

"We are going to give Frank his own room, but he will be just across the hall." Dr. Stevenson continued. "You should be able to see him shortly. The FBI is downstairs, and would like to talk to him and Joe as soon as possible, if your sons are okay with it you're allowed to be present. Additionally, when you see Frank, I recommend allowing him to initiate any physical contact, or if you feel the need to touch him in some way, it is generally recommended in such cases that you ask his permission."

"We understand," Laura agreed. "Joe, honey, do you feel up to talking to the agents now or would you prefer to wait?"

"I would rather get it over with," Joe said after a pause.

"Do you want us to be here?" Fenton asked quietly.

"I think I would rather you weren't, if that's okay?" Joe said looking at the worried faces of his parents.

"That's fine, sweetie." Laura agreed.

"We will be just down the hall if you need us, and if you want to stop answering questions at any point just tell them and they will stop, okay?" His father instructed.

"Got it, Dad." Joe agreed.

"We'll be back soon." Fenton added as he and his wife followed Dr. Stevenson out of the room.


	33. Chapter 33

After Agents Pierce and Drake finished taking Joe Hardy's statement they headed towards the waiting room to talk to the parents about speaking to Frank.

"I don't think you are going to be able to do that tonight," Laura Hardy's tone was firm. "We have not been allowed into to see Frank yet, but from what I understand he has not spoken to anyone since his arrival, and we would prefer that you not risk traumatizing him further."

"Of course ma'am, but we will need to speak to him eventually, and the sooner the better," Agent Pierce was very apologetic in his tone, but Laura was not all that comforted.

"We will let you know as soon as Frank feels up to talking." Fenton said finally.

"We are going to go see Frank now, if that's all right with you both?"

"Of course," Agent Drake agreed. "Thank you for your time, Mr. and Mrs. Hardy."

The couple nodded their heads in acknowledgment and headed toward the room of their elder son who had been settled in at this time.

Laura's lower lip trembled as she took in the form of her oldest in the hospital bed. He looked younger than his seventeen years in the sterile room.

"_Frank_," Fenton Hardy choked out the name of his older son through a tight throat.

They both rushed over to his bedside, but restrained themselves from touching him in deference to what the doctor had said.

_Your own parents don't even want to touch someone as dirty as you,_ a voice in Frank's head that sounded a lot like his rapist's hissed.

Frank fought back tears, and tried to pull himself together. He turned his head away from his parents to compose himself.

His parents shared a wordless look of terror over their son's head.

"Is there anything I can get you, dear?" Laura asked hopefully.

Frank shook his head.

"Are you tired?" Fenton asked.

Frank nodded his head.

"Do you want us to leave?" Laura asked.

Frank frantically shook his head.

Laura's hands itched to stroke his hair and comfort him the way she had when he was a small child and he skinned his knee. "Don't worry, we're not going anywhere." She reassured him.

After a while he managed to drift off to sleep. Laura remained by his side while Fenton went to go check on Joe.


	34. Chapter 34

"Do you think I could see Frank sometime soon?" Joe asked when his father returned to his room from seeing Frank.

"Your brother is sleeping right now, but I will try to arrange it as soon as possible." His father assured him. "Is there anything else I can get you in the meantime?"

"Do you think you could get ahold of Vanessa, and let her know I'm okay?" Joe requested.

"Of course," Fenton agreed.

A short while later a pale-looking Vanessa Bender presented herself in Joe's hospital room. Callie had come with her and was sitting in the waiting room. She informed Joe's father of this, and he agreed to leave Vanessa with Joe and go sit with the blonde in the waiting room.

"I'm so glad you're okay, Joe." Vanessa launched herself at her boyfriend and hugged him swiftly.

Joe hugged her back but eyed her speculatively when she released him.

"You still seem upset, Van." He noted.

"It's nothing; I shouldn't bother you with it right now." Vanessa attempted to wave off his concern.

"Tell me," Joe insisted.

Vanessa hesitated.

"_Van_," Joe pressed firmly.

"I'm pregnant," The ash blonde girl blurted out, and immediately wished she could shove the words back in.

Joe looked similarly horrified.

"I'm so sorry, Joe." Vanessa scrambled to say. "I don't know what happened and-"

"It's not your fault, Van." Joe interrupted. "Have you told anyone yet?"

Vanessa shook her head.

"Don't worry; we are going to get through this together, okay?" Joe said finally.

"Okay." Vanessa agreed shakily.


	35. Chapter 35

"Callie," Fenton greeted his eldest son's girlfriend in a quiet tone.

"Hi, Mr. Hardy," Callie responded in an equally quiet voice. "I know that I probably won't be able to see Frank but I wanted to be here anyway." She added quickly.

"I understand." Her boyfriend's dad replied. "You need to prepare yourself for the possibility that Frank won't be able to sustain your relationship at least right away," Fenton added not unkindly with the goal of helping Callie prepare herself for what was a very likely possibility.

"I know," Callie said in a small voice. "Frank is one of my best friends, and I want to be here for him any way I can, even if it's not as his girlfriend," the teenager continued.

"Thank you." Fenton replied. "Frank is lucky to have someone like you, and I am certainly grateful for your presence in his life."

Callie turned red in response. "Thank you, Mr. Hardy."

"I am going to go check in on Frank now," Fenton said after a few minutes of silence. "I will let you know if he is ready to see you, but I don't imagine that will happen tonight."

"Understood." Callie agreed with a nod, as her boyfriend's dad stood up to go visit his son.


	36. Chapter 36

Joe was released from the hospital early the next afternoon; of course his release did not make much of a difference since he merely relocated himself across the hall in his brother's room. Frank still had not spoken a word aloud to anyone since he arrived at the hospital, and a quiet voice in the back of Joe's head that he tried to push away suggested that his brother might not ever speak again.

Joe had always been fairly perceptive when it came to people's emotions, but he was never more attuned to anyone than his older brother.

Even so the younger Hardy still found himself at a loss for words as he sat next to his brother's hospital bed.

They had been kidnapped many times in their lifetime, but never had either of them experienced anything like what his brother just went through.

Concussions, stabbings, and even a few gunshot wounds paled in comparison to what happened to Frank.

Joe was alone with his brother right now, as his parents had gone to grab coffee in the cafeteria, though Joe knew that they were actually trying to give the brothers a chance to talk to each other, in the hopes that Frank would open up to Joe when he refused to talk to either of his parents, his doctor, a slew of nurses, and the psychologist who had stopped in early that morning.

Joe ran a hand over his face and wracked his brain for something to say.

And, finally, he said something…

"So, uh, how about those Mets?"

His older brother blinked incredulously at him, and Joe could have sworn he saw a flicker of amusement flash through his eyes before it disappeared so fast that it could have been merely a trick of the light.

Frank shrugged uncertainly.

"Yeah, actually, I have no idea either," Joe admitted with a strangled laugh.

Frank's eyes, which had developed a bait of roving the room as though searching for an escape, had moved off of Joe's face and were now staring off into the distance somewhere over his left shoulder.

Joe wondered if Frank knew that Joe had witnessed the rape. He knew the mirror was one-sided, and since S.W.A.T. arrived before Joe had a chance to charge in it was possible that Frank had no idea.

Which added yet another problem to the growing list Joe found himself faced with, he was torn between saying something to his brother, though he wasn't sure what he could possibly say to make things better, and remaining silent and hoping Frank never found out.

But, if Frank did find out, and Joe wasn't the one to tell him, what would his brother think?

Joe wanted him to know that he didn't think any less of him, but somehow he didn't think Frank was ready to have his younger brother talk about what happened.

He also desperately wanted to tell his older brother about Vanessa's pregnancy, but he knew that it would be wrong to burden his brother, that didn't stop Joe from wishing that he could though.


	37. Chapter 37

Later that day, Joe found himself with his older brother's girlfriend in the waiting room. He and Callie had never been all that close, and they had gotten more distant since Iola died.

Iola had been Callie's best friend, and other than Frank the main thing Callie and Joe had in common. After her death it seemed they had fewer things to say to each other.

Joe still considered them friends, but they just weren't close in the same way he was to Chet or Phil.

Thus, he was rather surprised when she seized him in a hug on sight and burst into tears.

Unsure of what to do, he awkwardly patted her on top of the head.

"I'm so glad you're okay," she said quietly once she pulled herself together.

"So am I," Joe admitted with a flash of a grin.

"How's Frank?" Callie whispered hesitantly.

Joe paused uncertainly. "He's, uh, all right, I guess," He was torn between giving an honest assessment and protecting his brother's privacy.

"I know what happened, Joe." Callie said reading between the lines. "He, uh, sent me pictures."

It took Joe a few seconds to figure out she was talking about their kidnapper whose name Joe had only recently learned was Mark Anderson, and then he felt vaguely nauseous when he realized what kind of pictures they had to be for Callie's comment to make sense.

"Yeah." Joe ran a hand over his face. "I saw it happen," he whispered.

Callie squeezed his arm sympathetically. "I know that Frank probably doesn't want to see me, Joe, and I don't want to push him, but it would mean a lot to me if you could just let me know how he's doing whenever you can, and if you think he's ready to hear it, let him know that I will be waiting for him whenever he wants to see me."

Joe had never fully appreciated how good Callie was for his brother until that moment. "I will," he promised.

"Thank you," Callie said quietly. "One last thing, Joe,"

"Yeah, Callie?"

"Um, Vanessa told me about, well, you know, and I just, if you need someone to talk to, I'm happy to listen, I know you would probably usually talk to Frank about this, and I figure you probably don't feel like you can right now, so if you want to talk to me, I'm happy to listen, and you know, I've gotten a lot of advice from your brother myself, over the years so maybe we'll get lucky and I'll be able to channel him or something," she added the last part with a weak smile, but Joe appreciated the effort just the same.

"Thanks, Cal." Joe said getting to his feet. "I'll probably take you up on that offer, but I had better be getting back to Frank's room now…"

"Of course," Callie agreed. "I'll, uh, talk to you later, I guess."

"Yeah." Joe said with an awkward bob of his head. Until that moment he hadn't quite realized how much he wished he had his brother's advice right about now.


	38. Chapter 38

"There's no physical reason for us to keep Frank here any longer," Dr. Stevenson informed Fenton and Laura in the hallway the next morning. "We can keep him for psychiatric evaluation for a day or two if you want, but it's the opinion of Dr. Williams, the psychologist who spoke with him and me, that he is not a danger to himself. The fact that he isn't speaking is somewhat concerning, don't get me wrong. However, muteness after a trauma is pretty common, and he is not unresponsive. Additionally, there is the chance that being at home, in an environment he feels safe in, might spur him to speak again."

"He will speak again, eventually though right?" Fenton asked the question that had been haunting the entire family ever since they had arrived at the hospital to find their elder son stricken with silence.

"I believe so, but there's no way to know for sure," Dr. Stevenson replied in a sympathetic tone. "Try not to push him, and of course you're going to want to find him a good therapist, I can give you a list of recommended adolescent trauma therapists in the area."

"That would be wonderful, thank you doctor." Laura Hardy said quietly.

"I am going to go get you that list, and start processing Frank's release papers."

"Thank you." Fenton said for the both of them, and ushered Laura back toward Frank's room. Joe was waiting for them inside already.

"It looks like you're going to get to go home today, sweetie," Laura announced with determined brightness.

Frank seemed to perk up a bit, but maybe that was just wishful thinking. He did nod in response at least.

Laura wondered what she would do if she never heard her oldest son speak again.

The first thing Frank did when he got home was retreat to the bathroom he and Joe shared. He carefully locked both doors and got into the shower.

He turned the water to a scalding temperature and grabbed a loofah and proceeded to scrub his skin practically raw.

He stayed under the showerhead until the water had long since turned cold, and even then he could still feel the hands running up and down his body.

He wondered if he would ever feel clean again.

His mother came to check on him around dinnertime but he pretended to be asleep, and eventually she went away.

Eventually he managed to drift off to sleep, but awoke screaming a couple of hours later.

Joe shook him awake.

Frank almost punched him in his panicked, half asleep haze.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Joe asked quietly.

Frank pulled his blankets closer to him, and shook his head.

"Would it be all right if I stayed in here with you?" Joe asked. "I don't, uh, want to be alone," Which while partially true, had less to do with Joe being afraid of being alone, and more to do with him being afraid of leaving his brother alone.

Frank shrugged.

Joe took that as yes. "Thanks, I'm just going to my sleeping bag and a pillow from my room okay,"

Frank nodded.

When Fenton stuck his head in the next morning, he was not at all surprised to find Joe asleep on his brother's floor. He was glad that Frank was at least sort of letting someone in, but then keeping Joe out was like trying to keep a bulldozer at bay.

He quietly backed out of the room when Frank began to shift in his bed.

Fenton Hardy had never been able to stand idleness, nor had he ever faced a problem he couldn't solve. And, now, for the first time he felt like he had well and truly failed, and he had absolutely no idea how to help his son.


	39. Chapter 39

Joe found his parents in the kitchen later that morning, and hesitantly walked over to them.

"Can I talk to you guys?"

"Of course, honey, what is it?" Laura asked looking concerned.

"Could we maybe go talk in your office, or something, Dad," Joe asked with an anxious tone.

"Yes, of course," Fenton led the way into his study.

When both of his parents were seated, Joe finally spoke. "I made a big mistake, and I am so sorry."

Of all the things that they expected to come out of their son's mouth it wasn't that.

"I'm sure whatever it is, it's not that bad." Laura said reassuringly.

"It is, though, the thing is, I, uh, um, well, it's like this, Vanessa is pregnant, and I'm the father." Joe looked anywhere but at his parents.

He heard his mother gasp.

No one spoke for what seemed like an eternity, but was probably only a few minutes.

"Does Andrea know yet?" Laura asked finally.

"I don't think so." Her son answered. "I told Vanessa I was going to tell you guys, and she said she would tell Andrea, but, uh, I don't think she has yet,"

"Okay, okay," Fenton paused clearly at a loss for words, something he seldom was.

"I'm so sorry," Joe whispered.

"We know you are," Laura said grimly.

"We're very disappointed that this happened, Joe, but what's done is done, and we're going to just need to make a plan for moving forward, and in light of recent events, well, I think I speak for both of us when I say we're just glad you're alive and in one piece. Let us know when Vanessa has spoken to Andrea and we'll make a plan to get together and talk to both of them, okay?" Fenton said finally.

Joe knew he was getting off easy, but even still he didn't think he had ever been more ashamed of himself. He keenly felt the additional pain and stress he was piling on his parents when they were already dealing with so much.

"Why don't you go see if you can convince your brother to eat something, while we talk for a while?" Laura suggested.

"Sure," Joe agreed though he rather doubted he would have any sort of success with that task.

He went back upstairs to his brother's room, to find it empty. He endured a brief panicked moment until he heard the shower running.

He would just have to come back later it appeared.


	40. Chapter 40

Two days later Frank found himself seated in the living room opposite Special Agent Maureen Drake.

He still had not spoken a word out loud to anyone since his meltdown when he was rescued.

However, the authorities needed to take his statement one way or another, so he was being allowed to write down his responses to their questions on a note pad.

"If you want to stop at any time, Frank, just let us know, and we can take a break, okay?" Special Agent Drake said sympathetically.

Frank was getting really tired of sympathy.

He also took note of the fact that the only female agent was conducting the interview, probably because they thought he would be threatened by a male.

"Can you first write down the details of your abduction from your home twelve days ago?"

Frank nodded his head and began to write in the notepad, avoiding eye contact with everyone in the room.

It took more than an hour and a half for them to finish taking his statement. He had to pause several times, struggling to write down what happened to him.

The worst part came at the end, when Agent Drake read his statement back to him in order to confirm the details.

Thankfully, his parents were not in the room. Frank hoped they never learned the full details of his attack. The full details of his shame.

"Thank you for your time, Frank." Agent Drake said quietly after Frank signed the back of his statement. "We're all finished here."

Frank nodded his head, and waited until she exited the front door to go back upstairs to his room.

Joe went back to school a week after that, but Frank wound up staying at home for another month. Joe brought his homework home every day, and Frank sat in his room working on it in silence.

Surprisingly, he managed to retain his Straight A average. Of course maybe it wasn't all that surprising when the only things he did were homework and attending therapy appointments where he sat in a chair and stared silently at whoever his current therapist happened to be at the time.

More than anything he missed being normal. He tried to force words out on several occasions. He had a thought that his family might stop hovering quite so intensely if he could at least bring himself to say something, anything at all.

Every time he tried, however, the words just wouldn't come.

The only time he came close to speaking was when he woke up screaming every night.

He was stricken with guilt over his inability to stop the assault, and his inability to move past it now. He felt awful for ignoring Callie at school every day, but he couldn't make himself look her in the eye.

Joe gave him updates on her every few days, and although Frank never responded to them he appreciated them just the same.

He was also plagued with by his inability to help his brother with Vanessa's pregnancy. Joe had not been allowed to see Vanessa outside of school since Andrea found out about the pregnancy.

Frank could tell that his brother wanted to bring it up to him, but stopped himself.

He wished that everyone didn't think he was so pathetic.

He wished he could do something to prove that he _wasn't_.

More than anything, he wished that this whole nightmare had never happened.

And if wishes were currency, he would be the wealthiest man in America.

It would be another month before Frank spoke a word to anyone.

**A/N Thank you to everyone who read this story. The sequel is called "Life or Something Close," And can be found on my profile.**


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